Yarn piecing apparatus

ABSTRACT

AUTOMATIC YARN PIECING APPARATUS OF TEXTILE MACHINES, SUCH AS SPINNING MACHINE OF THE RING AND TRAVELLER TYPE, WHEREIN A PIECING HEAD OF IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION JOINS YARN PASSING FROM THE MACHINE&#39;&#39;S DELIVERY ROLLS TO YARN EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM A BOBBIN. THE PIECING HEAD IS CONSTRUCTED SO AS TO CONSISTENTLY BRING THE YARN ENDS TOGETHER WHILE IMPARTING TWIST TO THE BOBBIN YARN AND   OTHERWISE UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITIONS CALCULATED TO RELIABLY JOIN THE YARN ENDS. TENSION CONTROL MEANS ARE PROVIDED TO DISCOURAGE YARN BREAKAGE DURING PEICING.

NOV; 6. 1971 R. ESCURSELL-PRAT 3,619,999

YARN PIECING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 1. 1959 INVENTOR ROBERTO ESCURSELL-PRAT BY w'v ATTORNEY 6, 1971 R. ESCURSELL-PRAT 3,619,999

YARN PIECING APPARATUS Filed April 1, 1969 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ROBERTO ESCURSELL PRAT BY W4 ATTORNEY 6, 1971 R. ESCURSELL-PRAT 3,619,999

YARN PIECING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 1, 1969 INVENTOR ROBERTO ESCURSELL- PRAT ATTORNEY United States Patent ()1 ice 3,5193% Patented Nov. 16, 1971 3,619,999 YARN PIECING APPARATUS Roberto Escursell-Prat,.Rda. General Mitre, 105 4., 1., Barcelona 6, Spain Filed Apr. 1, 1969, Ser. No. 812,054 Int. Cl. D01h 15/00 US. C]. 5734 R 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE together while imparting twist to the bobbin yarn and.

otherwise under controlled conditions calculated to reliably join the yarn ends. Tension control means are provided to discourage yarn breakage during piecing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The term yarn as used herein is intended to encompass all types of threads, rovings, slivers, yarns and the like.

Devices are known for detecting the presence of a broken yarn on a spinning machine and for automatically repairing the break by joining to the yarn issuing from the machines delivery rolls other yarn connected to a bobbin mounted upon the machine, the other yarn having been either previously Wound upon the bobbin during the machines normal operation or obtained from a supply of auxiliary yarn. One such apparatus is shown in my Reissue Pat. No. 26,230. The present invention is particularly directed to improvements in the piecing head which actually brings the two yarns into engagement at the delivery rolls of the spinning machine, after the bobbinconnected yarn has been prepared and positioned by other instrumentalities for acceptance by the piecing head. Such other instrumentalities form no part of the present invention as such, and may be as shown in my said Reissue Pat. No. 26,230 or of any other desired construction.

THE INVENTIQN The improved piecing head of the present invention insures that the yarns to be joined at the delivery roll of a spinning machine are in each instance brought intimately together under reliably consistent conditions of engagement and that the bobbin connected yarn is reliably released and thereby enabled to twist into the yarn issuing from the delivery rolls in desired timed relationship to realization of said engagement of the yarn ends. The invention also preferably provides means for minimizing if not altogether obviating the possibility of yarn breakage occurring during the piecing operation, as upon the resumption of normal rotation of. the bobbin to which the yarn is connected, due to sudden tensioning of the yarn.

In a preferred embodiment, the present piecing head receives and securely holds bobbin yarn presented to it by an instrumentality which has previously located and withdrawn the same from the bobbin, the holding being accomplished by a combination clamping and cutting assembly which functions to cut the yarn after it is received from the said instrumentality. Prior to its being cut, the yarn leading from the bobbin is clamped to the piecing head after being trained over a tension control arm and also over a spring loaded roller located at the leading end of the piecing head and connected to the combination cutting and clamping assembly by a releasable latching mechanism. The spring loaded roller over which the bobbin yarn is trained is engageable with the bottom delivery roll of the spinning machine and with the yarn issuing therefrom to effect joining of the yarns. The spring loading of the roller is advantageous in two important respects: (l) The desired engagement between the roller and the delivery roll, and therefore between the two yarns, is consistently accomplished under predetermined force conditions without the necessity for extremely precise control of the piecing heads movement, and (2) the bobbin yarn is consistently released from the piecing head in desired timed relationship to the yarns interengagement. These two advantages combine to provide consistently successful piecing of the yarn ends. Intimate engagement of the yarn ends is of course necessary to provide a reliable environment for their union, which is, of course, the objective of the piecing operation. The second named advantage, that of timing the release of the bobbin yarn to substantially coincide with its engaging the other yarn. discourages breakage of. the bobbin yarn by the delivery roll rotation and enables the residual twist imparted to the bobbin yarn just prior to its release to be fully utilized in effectively uniting the yarns. The excessively twisted bobbin yarn tends to unwind when released at the delivery roll and in doing so winds itself about the roving yarn issuing from the delivery rolls, thereby joining the two yarns.

The foregoing and other features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an environmental perspective view of a spin ning frame and an associated yarn piecing apparatus of which the subject piecing head forms a part;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of. the piecing head in its inoperative position ready to receive yarn to be pieced;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the piecing head in the position of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3A is a sectional view partially in elevation taken substantially along the line 3A-3A in FIG. 3; and

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are sequential and somewhat schematic side views of the piecing head as it progresses from its yarn receiving position of FIG. 4 to its yarn joining position of FIG. 7.

The apparatus according to the invention is particularly adapted for use with continuous spinning machines such as shown in FIG. 1 and including a spindle rail 10 on which are mounted a plurality of aligned bobbin-supporting driven spindles 11 to each of which yarn Y is directed from spaced pairs of drafting rolls including respective bottom and top front delivery rolls 12, 13. The yarn issuing at each delivery from front rolls 12, 13 normally passes through a guide 14 and balloon control ring 60, and through a traveller 15 on a ring 16 surrounding its respective spindle 11. All of the rings 16 are carried by a ring rail 17 which reciprocates axially of the spindles 11 to guide the yarn Y along the bobbins 11' as it is wound thereon by rotation of the spindles 11 by drive tapes 52.

The yarn piecing instrumentalities With which the present invention is associated are carried on a carriage 20 mounted for longitudinal movement along the spinning machine by means of attachment to the spindle rail 10 such as shown for example, in said Reissue Pat. No. 26,230. The specific means of attachment of the carriage to the spinning machine forms no part of the present invention and any desired arrangement may be used for this purpose.

FIG. 1 generally illustrates the position the carriage 20 assumes relative to a spindle 11 at a delivery, illustratively the third from the left, where the yarn has broken. In this instance, the roving end of the broken yarn is shown at B as it is delivered downwardly from bottom roll 12 and into the conventional ends-down suction orifice 21 therebeneath. The other end of the broken yarn, indicated at B in FIGS. 47, is in FIG. 1 upon the bobbin-package of the associated spindle 11 and an end locating instrumentality including a suction head 22 has been positioned adjacent the afiected bobbin 11 to locate and suck into itself the bobbin-end B of the broken yarn, while the bobbins normal rotative movement has been interrupted by a device including a disc member 24 engageable with the lower end portion of its supporting spindle 11. The suction head 22 is mounted for vertical and lateral movement relative to a vertically extending track 23 of carriage 20, and is connected by a flexible hose 26 to a source of suction (not shown) within the carriage.

After the end of the bobbin yarn B has been located and a desired length of it has been sucked into head 22 and hose 26, traveller threading is performed by suitable means (not shown), and disc 24 holds the engaged spindle 11 stationary while suction head 22 is moved upwardly along track 23 to a terminal position at or above the elevation of delivery roll 12. Its upward movement withdraws from head 22 a portion of the bobbin yarn B previously sucked therein, and establishes a free length thereof extending upwardly from the bobbin to the now elevated head 22. Upon reaching its terminal position, control means (not shown) halts movement of head 22 and initiates operation of the piecing head, designated in its entirety by the numeral 30, of the present invention. The other instrumentalities described above form no part of the present invention as such, and therefore any mechanisms similarly capable of establishing a length of yarn extending upwardly from the bobbin might be employed in lieu of those specific ones shown and described.

THE PIECING HEAD Referring now particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, piecing head 30 generally comprises a frame 62 carried by and at one end of a movable support arm 31; a roller 32 and bifurcated guide member 35 mounted at one end of frame 62 for limited movement relative to it; thread clamping and cutting means including a movable upper jaw 41 cooperable with a lower jaw 37 and associated cutting element 68 supported upon frame 62; and yarn tension control means including a generally L-shaped arm 36.

Support arm 31 is connected at its upper end (see FIG. 1) to control mechanism, such as a cam-actuated rocker shaft (not shown), within carriage 20 and supports the piecing head 30 at its lower end for movement toward and away from delivery rolls 12, 13 along a somewhat arcuate path of travel. Piecing head 30 normally occupies an inoperative or withdrawn position away from and slightly below the elevation of delivery rolls 12, 13, as shown in FIG. 1. After such head 22 has reached its upward terminal position, arm 31 moves piecing head 30 toward lower delivery rolls 12 along a path of travel intersecting the length of yarn B extending between the bobbin 11' therebelow and the elevated suction head 22 thereabove (FIG. 4).

Roller 32 extends generally parallel to roll 12 at the leading end of piecing head 30 during its aforesaid movement toward roll 12, the roller being rotatably journaled upon a pin 33 (FIG. 2) supported by a bracket 34 mounted for sliding movement within and projecting forwardly from a central recess 80 in frame 62. Bifurcated guide member 35, also mounted upon the projecting portion of bracket 34, partially overlies roller 32. Resilient means in the form of a compression spring 35, housed within recess 80 of frame 62 as shown in FIG. 3, biases bracket 34 to its projected position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, but permits controlled inward movement of the 4 bracket and the roller 32 carried thereby relative to frame 62.

Lower jaw 37 and an associated blade-type cutting element 68 of the thread clamping and cutting means are mounted upon the upper surface and extend across the full width of frame 62, while upper jaw 41 is mounted for movement toward and away from jaw 37 by a lever 64 pivoted intermediate its length upon a frame-mounted shaft 66. Jaw 41 is biased to its upward or open position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 by a U-shaped spring 43 acting between lever 64 and frame 62, and is moved downward to a closed position of engagement with jaw 37 upon the engagement, during movement of head 30 toward delivery roll 12 by engagement of a follower 67 mounted upon arm 64s other end with a cam member 29 (see FIGS. 1, 4 and 5) mounted in any convenient fashion upon carriage 20. Depending downwardly from one side of lever 64 adjacent jaw 41 is a latch finger 47 having an arcurate leading edge and a notched side edge engageable with a latch pin 46 carried by bracket 34 and projecting laterally from the bracket and frame 62 through a slot-like opening 79 communicating with recess 80. As jaw 41 is moved downwardly into clamping engagement with jaw 37, finger 47 moves pin 46 and bracket 34 to the left as viewed in FIG. 2, against the biasing force of spring of 45. Once jaw 41 has reached a position of clamping engagement with jaw 37, it is latched in place by pin 46s return movement into the then aligned notch of finger 47.

A cutting edge element 44 formed integral with and depending downwardly from upper jaw 41, on that side of its clamping surface distal from the leading end of frame 62, cooperates with cutting element 68 in the clamped position of the jaws to sever any yarn extending rearwardly therefrom.

As shown in FIG. 3, upper jaw 41 extends across less than the full width of frame 62, but beyond the center of the frame, and its upper surface is downwardly inclined in the direction of its foreshortened end.

Arm 36 of the yarn tension control means is pivotally mounted at one end by a hub 70 and frame-mounted pivot shaft 42 for movement between a lowered position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein its shorter leg extends across the space between clamp jaw 37 and bifurcated guide 35, and a raised position shown in FIG. 5. Arm 36 is pivoted from its lowered to its raised position at a predetermined time during movement of piecing head 30 along its path of travel toward rolls 12, .13 by engagement between a finger 72 carried by and extending upwardly from hub 70 and a cam strip 74 (FIGS. 1, 4 and 5) fixedly mounted upon and depending downwardly from an overlying portion of carriage 20. Adjustable means in the form of a leaf spring 76, secured at one slotted end to a frame-mounted bracket 78 and having its other end in frictional engagement with hub 70, are provided to re tain arm 36 in its upward position until a positive downward force is imposed thereon. The magnitude of the force required to return arm 36 to its downward position may be varied by loosening the screw connection between spring 76 and bracket 78 and re-adjusting the position of the spring relative to the bracket and to hub 70.

Eaching piecing operation commences with head 30 moving from its inoperative position of FIG. 1 toward the yarn B extending between the bobbin 11 therebelow and the suction head 22 thereabove, with arm 36 and clamp jaw 31 and bracket 34 then being in their respective positions of FIGS. 2 and 3. The generally vertically extending yarn B engaged by roller 32 is directed to its center by bifurcated guide 35, and the continued movement of head 30 decreases the angle relative to the horizontal of that yarn B between roller 32 and suction head 22. Some additional yarn B may be withdrawn from the suction head at this time. lts decreasing angularity causes yarn B to first engage the upper surface of clamp jaw 41, and upon being deflected from one end thereof due to such surfaces inclination, to fall between the clamp jaws as shown in FIG. 4.

As piecing head '30 moves from its FIG. 4 to its FIG. 5 position, yarn-tension control arm 36 is pivoted upwardly by cam means 72, 74 and clamp jaw 41 is pivoted downwardly into clamping engagement with jaw 37 by cam means 67, 2 9. Finger 47 and pin 46 latch jaws 41, 37 together, and cutting elements 44, 68 sever the yarn B extending between suction head 22 and the clamping surfaces of the jaws. The severed thread extending from suction head 22 is drawn therewithin and thereafter delivered to a suitable collection point (not shown). In its raised position, arm 36 lengthens the path and thus accumulates a reserve length of the remaining yarn B between clamp jaws 37, 41 and bobbin 1.1, which at this time is still being held stationary by disc 24.

In FIG. 6 disc 24 has been disengaged from spindle 11 or otherwise suitably actuated by the control means within carriage 20 so as to permit the spindles bobbin 11' to resume normal rotation under the impetus of drive tape 52. This causes twist build-up in an ballooning action of the yarn B, as indicated by the dash lines .13 in FIG. 6. It also occasions such tensioning of the yarn as might, unless suitably controlled, tend to break the same. The necessar control is provided by arm 36. The arms regulated downward movement to its lowered position (FIG. 6), under the impetus of the tension with yarn B, releases the reserve length of yarn previously accumulated and so cushions the sudden stresses imposed upon the yarn as to prevent breakage thereof.

In the final stage of head 30s movement (FIG. 7), roller 32 firmly engages bottom delivery roll 12- and the yarn -B passing thereover into suction orifice 21. The interconnection provided by spring 45 and bracket 34 be tween frame 62 and roller 32 allows some further movement of the frame 62 following the rollers initial engagement with roll 12. This in turn insures (1) effective engagement of the two yarns without any possibility, so long as a spring 45 of the proper strength is utilized, of overstressing any components; and (2.) timely release of the clamped yarn B. In the latter connection, as frame 62 and roller 32 are moved against the force of spring 45 toward each other, latch pin 46 passes out of contact with latch finger 47. Spring 43 then opens the clamp jaws by moving clamp 41 upwardly, releasing the twisted yarn B for passage through the nip between roller 32 and roll 12 to rotating bobbin 11'. During its passage through such nip, the yarn B twists into the yarn B there in firm engagement therewith, such that a permanent connection between the two yarns is made and the normal yarn delivery path between the rolls 12, 13 and bobbin 11' is reestablished. At this point piecing head 30 has completed its function and is withdrawn along its path of travel from its FIG. 7 and to its FIG. 1 position, where it remains until again needed.

Passage of the yarn through guide 14 and balloon control ring 60 may be effected automatically during the aforesaid piecing operation, if such components are of the self-threading type, or alternatively separate mechanisms may be employed for this purpose.

Although specific terms have been used in describing a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the terms are not used in a limiting sense, but rather in a descriptive sense, the scope of the invention being defined in the following claims.

That which is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for piecing together yarn at the delivery roll of a spinning machine or the like and other yarn extending from a bobbin mounted thereon, an improved piecing head comprising:

a frame movable toward said delivery roll along a path intersecting said other yarn;

a roller carried by said frame at its leading end and movable therewith for engagement with said other yarn and thereafter for engagement with said delivery roll to bring said yarns into contact with each other, said roller and said frame being resiliently interconnected for limited movement relative to one another during said engagement of said roller with said delivery roll; and

releasable clamping means for securing said other yarn for movement with said roller following said engagement therebetween and for releasing said other yarn in response to said relative movement between said roller and said frame.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, including means for cutting said other yarn following clamping thereof by said clamping means, said cutting means including a cutting element carried by said frame.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said frame has a recess extending inwardly from its leading end, a bracket mounted for sliding movement longitudinally of said recess and having a portion projecting therefrom, a compression spring acting between said bracket and said frame, said roller being carried by said projecting portion of said bracket for said limited movement relative to said frame.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1, including yarn tension control means adjacent said frame and engageable with said other yarn for reducing the stress imposed thereon by tension, said control means including a yarn engaging member movable between a first position wherein it accumulates a reserve length of said other yarn between said clamping means and said roller and a second position wherein it releases said reserve length of said yarn.

5. In apparatus for piecing together yarn at the delivery roll of a spinning machine or the like and other yarn extending from a bobbin mounted thereon, an improved piecing head comprising:

a frame movable toward said delivery roll along a path intersecting said other yarn;

releasable clamping means associated with said frame for releasably securing said other yarn for movement therewith toward said delivery roll;

a roller adapted to underlie said clamped yarn and carried by said frame at its leading end for engagement with said delivery roll to define therewith a nip at which said yarns are brought into contact with each other, said roller and said frame being resiliently interconnected for relative movement toward each other following said engagement of said roller with said delivery roll; and

means responsive to said relative movement between said roller and said frame for releasing said clamping means and said yarn clamped thereby.

6. In an automatic yarn piecing apparatus for a spinning machine of the ring-traveler type, the improvement comprising:

yarn tension control means engageable with the yarn being pieced for reducing the stress imposed thereon by tension, said control means including a yarn engaging member movable between a first position wherein it accumulates a reserve length of the yarn and a second position wherein it releases said reserve length of the yarn, said member being movable to its said second position in response to a predetermined increase in the tension of the yarn engaged thereby.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6, wherein said member comprises an arm pivotally mounted for movement between said first and second positions, and said control means further includes cam means for moving said arm to its first position, and adjustable means operatively associated with said arm and imposing a force thereon opposing movement thereof to its second position.

8. Apparatus as in claim 6, including a carriage movable longitudinally of said spinning frame, said tension control means being carried by said carriage.

9. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said clamping means includes upper and lower clamping jaws engageable with each other rearwardly of said roller for securing said other yarn for movement with said roller.

10. Apparatus as in claim 9, including means resiliently mounting said lower clamping jaw upon said frame, an arm pivotally connected to said frame and mounting said upper clamping jaw for pivotal movement into and out of engagement with said lower clamping jaw, spring means for biasing said upper clamping jaw upwardly away from said lower clamping jaw, and latch means for releasably 10 maintaining said upper clamping jaw in clamping engage ment with said lower clamping jaw.

11. Apparatus as in claim 10, wherein said upper clamping jaw has an inclined upper surface adapted to deflect therefrom yarn engaging said surface.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Escursell-Prat 5734 Cizek et al. 5781 Gillono et al. 57-34 Bell et al 57-34 X Escursell-Prat 5734 Artamonova et al. 5734 Nimtz et al 5734 Landwehrhamp et a1. 5780 JOHN PETRAKES, Primary Examiner 

